Want to play better cricket, take youngsters forward: Rinku Singh
May 28, 2023
Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 28 : Kolkata Knight Riders explosive batter Rinku Singh on Sunday inaugurated the first edition of Aligarh Premium League, a tournament on the lines of Indian Premier League (IPL), under the Khelo India campaign.
Aligarh Premier League which starts today has eight teams.
Rinku Singh, who hailed from Aligarh, told ANI, "It is a good initiative, I also want to play better cricket and take people and young players forward, I have full support for players."
Aligarh's District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh said, "The Aligarh Premium League is starting today. The team which will come out ahead in the local competition of this cricket will earn its name in the country and abroad. It seems to be a small place. There is a lack of facilities here, but from this small place, IPL star player Rinku Singh has progressed by playing and has made his name known in the country and abroad."
Just like it has been for a lot of domestic players in the past, Indian Premier League (IPL) provided a much-needed, well-deserved big break to Uttar Pradesh's domestic cricket star Rinku Singh.
Though everyone became aware of this pocket dynamite's capabilities as a batter and fielder during the last season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022, Rinku was launched into cricketing stardom the moment he smashed Gujarat Titans' pacer Yash Dayal for five successive towering sixes in the final over of a 200-run plus chase in this year in IPL 2023.
Even after getting into cricket, Rinku's calibre was not acknowledged initially. Despite his consistent efforts in domestic cricket for UP, he had to sit on the sidelines after being offered his first IPL contract in 2017 by Punjab Kings.
The 2023 season proved to be the game-changing season for Rinku where he proved his strength reflecting that Indian cricket was in strong and capable hands.
He had healthy domestic cricket stats to his name. In 40 first-class matches, he scored 2,875 runs at an average of 59.89 with seven centuries and 19 fifties in 59 innings, with the best score of 163*. His form was also great in List A cricket, having scored 1,749 runs in 50 matches at an average of 53, with one century and 16 fifties in 46 innings and the best score of 104.
At the end of the IPL season, he stands tall after 14 matches, scoring 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52. He scored four half-centuries in this IPL, with best score of 67*. He stands above stars like Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell and skipper Nitish Rana as the leading run-scorer for KKR this season.
